Dockyards and Naval Bases in North America, the Atlantic and the Caribbean

The Ho Group, an experimental archaeology group who meet in Denmark and who are committed to research into early artillery and gunpowder, announce their latest, exciting, venture and invite you to participate.

Our latest project is to construct a replica of a late medieval reverberatory furnace and cast cannon as close as possible to late medieval and early modern methods and techniques. To this end, we have built an experimental small-scale reverberatory furnace using early 16th century documentation and we invite you to the first, experimental, casting in May 2019.

Although the first, experimental, furnace is built, it has not yet been tested and we are planning to melt about 250 kg of bronze and cast a number of small cannon. The moulds, made in precisely the same way as in the late medieval period, will be of a surviving mid-15th century cannon, and the melting and casting will be done with wood.

The project will take place in the week of the 11 – 18 May 2109 with the actual casting probably on the 15th/16th though this is not guaranteed. We would like you to join us, to participate and be a part of this unique project.

There is very limited accommodation at the Medieval Centre – available on a first come, first served basis. Hotel accommodation is also available at the Hotel Lieslund (within walking distance of the Centre) or at the Hotel Falster (some 5km away).

If you would like to join us for what, we are sure, will be a unique event, please contact Kay Smith at:

smithbrown@basiliscoe.com

Directions:

The casting will take place at the Medieval Centre, Middelaldercentret, in Nykobing, Falster some 100km south of Copenhagen. By air, Nykobing is easy to reach by train from Copenhagen. By road, the easiest way is via the Puttgarden/Rodby ferry from Germany.

As people may know, the FIREPOWER museum at Woolwich closed in 2016 and the contents of the museum have been stored in a number of military establishments in and around Larkhill, while the site and building of the new museum is decided.

The library now needs some volunteers to help with some of these enquiries and the following request has been received: –

The Archive of the Royal Artillery Museum is looking for volunteers to help in answering the large number of enquiries we receive. We get quite a variety – a lot of family history enquiries of course, but also e-mails and letters from academics, current and former Gunners, re-enactors, historical gun enthusiasts and others.

You are not expected to know all the sources – full training is provided! However, you would need to be within easy reach of Larkhill.

If you would like more details, please get in touch with me and I will send you further information. Do also forward this to anyone who might be interested.